- (n.) The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.
- (v.t.) To shave or dress the beard of.
- (n.) Paps or little projections, of the mucous membrane, which mark the opening of the submaxillary glands under the tongue in horses and cattle. The name is mostly applied when the barbs are inflamed and swollen.
- (v.t.) To clip; to mow.
- (n.) A southern name for the kingfishes of the eastern and southeastern coasts of the United States; -- also improperly called whiting.
- (n.) A hair or bristle ending in a double hook.
- (n.) One of the side branches of a feather, which collectively constitute the vane. See Feather.
- (n.) A bit for a horse.
- (n.) A blackish or dun variety of the pigeon, originally brought from Barbary.
- (n.) Beard or that which resembles it or grows in the place of it.
- (n.) The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduced from Barbary into Spain by the Moors.
- (n.) A muffler, worn by nuns and mourners.
- (v.t.) To furnish with barbs or with that which will hold or hurt like barbs, as an arrow, fishhook, spear, etc.
- (n.) Armor for a horse. Same as 2d Bard, n., 1.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). barb. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/barb/definitions/1978264 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "barb" http://smartdefine.org/barb/definitions/1978264 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, barb, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/barb/definitions/1978264>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "barb" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/barb/definitions/1978264> |